Our Stories

Welcome to Human R.A.C.E., our engine to drive Respect, Acceptance, Change and Equality for people with intellectual disabilities. We are more similar than we are different, so why discriminate? Hear our voices. Feel our fears. Share our joy as we race to the finish line.

Don’t be a lone hero. Attack and defend as a team. Play for the love of the game, for the friendships that you build; not just to get a gold medal. When every member of the team has an equal chance to score, everyone wins.

It was my love for football that first led me to Special Olympics Nippon, and started me on this life-changing journey. I volunteered to be a unified partner a few years ago through my school, Ichimura High School.

Some people say childhood is the best part of one’s life, with the sweetest memories. It wasn’t true for me at all. I recall being a sickly child, often spending my days in cold, clinical hospital rooms.

We are the proud parents of five beautiful children. Our eldest son Aaron, who is now 20, was diagnosed with autism when he was 3. Our youngest children, 12-year-old twins Daniel and Gabriel, were also found to have autism four years ago.

We have so much to learn from one another. My sister Anastasia has Down Syndrome. When she was born, I remember my parents telling me that I have a special sister and that it was my duty to love and care for her.